Managers of an Eagle Point vernal pool habitat are practicing strategic grazing to balance the needs of grazing cattle and threatened fairy shrimp.

A conservation easement completed in March by the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy with landowner Wildland ensures the water quality and wildlife habitat will be protected in perpetuity. The conservancy is the permanent steward of the property.

The rare vernal pools, found only in Jackson County in Oregon, provide the life-support systems for two species protected by the Endangered Species Act, explained Diane Garcia, SOLC's executive director. That includes the large-flowered woolly meadowfoam, which is listed as endangered, and the fairy shrimp, federally listed as threatened, she said, adding that the rare plant is found only in Jackson County.

BY JACOB PALMER

Five years in the making, the Portland Mercado — the city’s first Latino public market — will celebrate its grand opening April 11. A $3.5 million public-private partnership spearheaded by Hacienda CDC, the market will house 15 to 20 businesses in the food, retail and service sectors. It has some big-name funders, including the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and JPMorgan Chase. The project goals are equally ambitious: to improve cross-cultural understanding, alleviate poverty and spur community economic development.

Brand Stories

BY ERIN J. BERNARD

BY SOPHIA BENNETT

Since 1932 Tidewater Transportation & Terminals (operating as Tidewater Barge Lines and Tidewater Terminal Company) has operated a multicommodity transportation and terminal company based in Vancouver, Washington. The friendly expression on the company’s shipping containers reflects the attitude of about 330 safety and community-conscious employees but belies how complicated the barge business really is.

BY SOPHIA BENNETT

The Port of The Dalles has run marine facilities since the 1930s, but they are part of a larger mission to strengthen the local economy. They focus on regional economic development with a strong bent toward adding good-paying jobs in high tech, manufacturing and other industries.